And Happy Birthday Charlie aka Charl, Dad, Nonno, BisNonno!
For our family August is a big birthday month. Our grandson Vince starts it off on the 9th, my husband Charlie follows on the 17th and then we have Andrea on the 29th. If close friends are included, we add several more. But the thing is, all family birthdays are celebrated with special meals and favorite cake. This year Charlie’s celebration was huge. As were the number of candles on his cake. We planned a dinner party for 50 or so on Friday night, a family only dinner at a favorite restaurant which meant 18 on Saturday night and today the family is once again gathering for Brunch to round out a wonderful weekend celebration. This meal is one of the easiest to do as it takes place mostly outside. Bacon, eggs, sausage pancakes and hash browns on the grill accompanied by fruit salad, crumb buns and bagels. But the important thing is that we are all together. And while we will have many family dinners, with some family living out of state, we will see one another individually but it will be the holidays before we are all together again. So Happy Birthday, Charlie, let the good times roll!
NEW YORK CRUMB BUNS
| 3 Eggs – large 3 Cups Flour – all purpose 1 Cup Milk 1 Cup Sugar | ¼ Lb. Crisco 4 tsp Baking Powder 2 tsp Vanilla Crumb Topping |
Cream Crisco and sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat until creamy. Add dry ingredients with milk and vanilla, starting with dry and ending with milk. Pour batter into a 10” X 15” baking pan, lined with parchment paper and slightly greased. Sprinkle with Crumb Topping.
Crumb Topping
| 1/2 Lb. Butter – melted and slightly cooled 2 ½ -3 Cups Flour – all purpose 1/3 Cup Light Brown Suga r1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar | 1 Cup White Sugar 1 ½ Tbs Cinnamon Powdered Sugar for Dusting |
Mix dry ingredients and blend with cooled butter using a fork. Grasp by handfuls and crumble on top of batter. Bake at 350° for 30 – 40 minutes. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into large squares.
Note: This was a Sunday morning treat, if I was given money to go to Hanscom Bakery on 2nd Avenue somewhere between 41st and 42nd on the east side of the avenue. I would buy a half dozen crumb buns after 9 o’clock Mass (try sitting through Mass with an empty stomach thinking of Crumb Buns). Remember, my Mother didn’t bake, so this was a real treat and didn’t happen very often.
BUONA MANGIATA
Ancora 
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